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Apple’s M1 chip was introduced in 2020. It debuted in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. These became the most powerful Macs available. Cupertino’s tech giant released the new MacBook Pro 2021 models powered by M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The new Macs come with an upgraded chip and a redesign of the chassis that includes the MagSafe charger and other ports. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch versions are available. They also have thinner bezels with notched displays. The M2 chip was introduced in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in 2022.
Size: MacBook Air Is Smaller And Portable Than MacBook Pro
The name of the MacBook Air says it all: It is lighter and more portable than its MacBook Pro counterpart. It is also wedge-shaped, making it the most comfortable form factor for typing and general use.
The MacBook Pro retains the classic laptop “chunk” shape. Pro and has more space for Thunderbolt ports and an SD card slot. There’s also HDMI output on both the 14-inch and 16-inch models.
The MacBook Air only comes in a 13-inch size when writing. The MacBook Pro is available in 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16 inch sizes. A larger chassis allows for more room for a keyboard and better sound quality from the internal speakers.
The weight of the MacBook Pro is also essential. A 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs only 2.8 lb (1.29kg), while a 14-inch MacBook Pro weighs in at 3.5 lb (1.6 kg), and the 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs in at 4.7 lb (2.21 kg). The MacBook Pro feels solid and heavy, which could be desirable depending on your expectations.
Powerful: MacBook Pro Is More Powerful
The MacBook Pro is the right choice if you require more power to perform more complex tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering and data analysis. The base 13-inch MacBook Pro has the same M1 chipsets as the MacBook Air. However, the MacBook Pro also features active cooling, which allows it to work harder.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models offer more cores and GPU cores for multitasking, better performance in multi-threaded applications, and improved multitasking. You can choose to add even more power at checkout.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips have dedicated video and encode engines. There is also a ProRes encoder and decode engine. Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC are some of the other features. The CPU has faster access to data with a higher memory bandwidth than the base model M1.
The best M1 MacBook Air models will have storage and RAM limits of 2TB and 16GB, respectively. So, you can spend up to 64GB RAM and an 8TB SSD on the MacBook Pro. Thunderbolt lanes are available on the 14-inch and 16-inch models for improved connectivity.
However, this performance comes with a price: power consumption. The most powerful MacBook Pros have power adapters that can draw 140w power. There are also 96w and67w versions. The MacBook Air draws only 30w. Keep this in mind if you have a monitor with USB PD that you wish to use to power your MacBook Air.
Design: MacBook Air And MacBook Pro Design Identical
The 2022 MacBook Air’s design and the MacBook Pro’s are almost identical in many ways. The 2022 MacBook Air’s tapered design made it immediately identifiable as the Air. It is still available for purchase if you choose the M1 model of the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air now looks more like the MacBook Pro. These two Macs are pretty different.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks many features, but the MacBook Air offers many more. The 2022 MacBook Air features a 13.6-inch larger screen and slimmer bezels than the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s 13.3-inch display. The downside to the larger screen is that it includes a notch. This can be seen on some iPads, iPhones and MacBook Pros (14-inch and 16-inch). While some people don’t like the notch, we think it’s acceptable because it allows Apple to increase the screen size since it just sits on their menu.
Display: MacBook Air Display Is More Smooth
The new 2022 MacBook Air display is brighter and more extensive than the M2 MacBook Pro and a step above the display on the older generation MacBook Air.
The M2 MacBook Air features a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display instead of a regular one. The newer display can support more colours and has a higher contrast ratio (a billion instead of millions). Both displays are not as bright as the Liquid Retina XDR displays on the 15-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The MacBook Pro models with higher prices offer up to 1,000 nits brightness (compared to 500 on the M2 MacBook Air or 400 on the M1 MacBook Air), darker blacks, more vibrant colours and ProMotion.
The 2022 MacBook Air screen has a diagonal measurement of 13.6 inches instead of 13.3 inches. This explains why the MacBook Air display offers slightly more pixels.
- M2 MacBook Pro: 2,560×1,600 pixels
- M2 MacBook Air: 2,560×1,664 pixels
- M1 MacBook Air: 2,560×1,600 pixels
Specifications: MacBook Air Vs MacBook Pro: Specifications
Apple has updated all Mac laptops with its system-on-chip. The M1 was first introduced in November 2020. In October 2021, the M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Pro arrived. The M2 arrived on the 2022 MacBook Air in July 2022. Although the M2 is more recent than the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, it’s still better than the M2. See M2 vs M1 Pro, Max and Ultra: Why Apple’s latest chip isn’t the best.
Consider the 16 or 14 MacBook Pro if you feel you need more power. You have the option to choose M1 Pro or M1 Max. Or wait for the M2 Series to expand. Our M1-series chips guide will provide more information. You can learn more about the M2 series of chips here: Apple’s m2 chip: Everything you need to know.
Price: MacBook Pro Is More Expensive
The MacBook Pro is more powerful than the MacBook Air and will cost more. Also, MacBook Pro is more expensive because of the use of aluminium in its construction and the active cooling system.
The MacBook Air is $999, the MacBook Pro 13-inch model starts at $1,299, and the MacBook Pro 13-inch models start at $1,299, respectively. Both machines have the same M1 chip, but the MacBook Air has passive cooling. The MacBook Pro, with more powerful M1 Pro chips and 512GB base storage, start at $1,999.
A MacBook Air with 2TB storage and 16GB RAM will cost you $2,049, while a MacBook Pro with all of the trimmings will cost you $6,099 for 8TB storage and 64GB RAM. These numbers should give you an idea of the target market for the MacBook Pro. It can also be used as a replacement desktop or mobile computer for those requiring that power level.
The MacBook Pro’s Active Cooling System Ensures That It Is Fast And Reliable
The original Apple M1 chipset is used in the 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s a significant improvement over previous Mac models. Apple claims that the MacBook Air has a 3.5x faster CPU performance and 5x faster graphics than previous Intel models. It also boasts an 11x faster machine-learning performance.
The Apple M1-powered MacBook Air performs almost as well as the Intel processors from the older models. While you may think that the MacBook Air is as good as the Pro in many ways, there are some things to remember.
The 13-inch MacBook Air equipped with the Apple M1 has 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD storage. The new M1 Pro/Max chip, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have 64GB RAM and 8TB storage. The M2 MacBook Air and Pro models have a maximum RAM of 24GB, while the Pro models can hold up to 2TB. SSD storage is limited to the Pro models.
Also Read: How To Turn Ringer Off On MacBook: Step By Step Explained
